Another Fatal Police Shooting of a Black Man Triggers Protests

An unarmed black man shot by police near San Diego on Tuesday afternoon for acting “erratically” died of his injuries, prompting angry protesters to gather while the man was still being treated at a local hospital. Police said they were called to a shopping center in suburban El Cajon at around 2 p.m. on reports of a man “walking in traffic” and generally acting erratically in the parking lot. At some point in the ensuing altercation, an officer shot 30-year-old Alfred Olango, after police said he raised an object and took a stance that insinuated that he had a gun. Protesters quickly gathered while police were still working at the scene, with several dozen cursing at officers for what they believed was a wrongful shooting. Police later said the man was not armed and had first tried to subdue him with a stun gun. A Facebook Live video showed a woman identifying herself as the man’s sister saying he was mentally ill and she had called police to help him, a statement that police said they are investigating. Another witness was cited in local media saying the man had his hands up when a police officer shot him at least four times, a description that police later disputed. El Cajon police, who are not equipped with body cameras, promised transparency in their investigation.